Enough Room For The Animals

November 27, 1985|By GREEN

Findings from a national humane society survey of Central Florida roadside zoos: A black leopard kept in a cramped, damp and dark cage had chewed raw several inches of its tail. A black bear was being fed irregularly despite a state law requiring a special diet.

These conditions are one more reason why the community needs a bigger and better zoo. Such a zoo would make it tougher for unprofessional animal exhibitors to thrive on tourist dollars by simply erecting signs and putting animals on display in cramped and squalid cages.

The problem with Central Florida's present 21-acre zoo in Sanford is that it has no room to grow. The option for the community is to move that zoo to the 175-acre Turkey Lake Park in southwest Orlando. There, animals would be displayed in natural habitats.

Indeed, the Orlando City Council has even cleared the way to provide space at Turkey Lake Park for the zoo. It's now up to the community to make this $30 million zoo a reality. That goal probably can be reached if the zoo society's membership grows from 2,400 to at least 14,000. A formal fund- raising campaign will begin in early January and will continue through mid- 1987.

Is the goal impossible? Of course not. In Omaha, Neb., 30,000 supporters have raised $60 million for the city's zoo. All it took was a strong community effort.